Warmth on John Calipari ratchets up as Kentucky’s 28-game house successful streak snapped by South Carolina

Kentucky’s season went from on the brink to off the rails on Tuesday because the 19.5-point favourite Wildcats fell at house in a stunner to unranked South Carolina 71-68. The loss snapped Kentucky’s 28-game house successful streak at Rupp Enviornment that was the longest working streak within the SEC and dropped the Wildcats to 1-3 in convention play for the primary time for the reason that 1986-87 season. The disastrous loss comes solely days after falling by 26 factors to Alabama — its largest margin of defeat within the century-long collection towards the Crimson Tide — on Saturday.

The Wildcats have struggled at varied factors all through the season, both on offense or protection, however Tuesday towards the Gamecocks was a mix of every thing going mistaken always. South Carolina scorched the nets from 3, smashed on the offensive boards and raked in 21 second-chance factors in a wire-to-wire win in entrance of the UK devoted. And every time the Wildcats have been on the prowl lurking to make issues tight, South Carolina appeared to have a solution all the way in which to the tip.

South Carolina acquired 26 large ones from Meechie Johnson — a brand new career-high — in an out-of-his-mind scoring efficiency on the street to tug off the upset. Johnson hit six of his 10 3-point makes an attempt, together with an absurd stepback from deep vary late within the second half and one other from near the brand to cushion the lead as UK was pushing to make it nearer. Star freshman GG Jackson additionally added two 3s on two makes an attempt and contributed 16 factors on 6-of-10 capturing.

South Carolina was as scorching scorching as Kentucky was ice chilly in yet one more flat efficiency from the Wildcats. Even with reigning Participant of the Yr Oscar Tshiebwe, UK acquired labored on the boards and the offensive glass, and acquired no assist from the offensive aspect of issues to even out the scales. The workforce took solely 10 3s and made three, a confounding technique by a workforce that statistically charges as probably the greatest 3-point capturing groups of the Calipari period. 

Compounding issues, freshman star Cason Wallace, the workforce’s greatest 3-point shooter by share, left halfway via the sport with an harm and didn’t return.

Listed here are three takeaways from the sport.

1. Stress on Calipari intensifies

John Calipari denied reviews this week that Texas officers had contacted him about its head teaching emptiness after firing Chris Beard. However that was about as fortuitous a distraction as attainable for the Corridor of Fame coach. After falling to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s within the NCAA Tournament, Huge Blue Nation has been Huge Mad Nation geared toward Calipari, and the 10-6 begin to 2022-23 — regardless of opening the season as a top-five workforce — has solely intensified the stress on him. It would be one factor if the expertise wasn’t there, however this roster has loads of items. The hassle, although, appears to wax and wane intermittently and the system — the spacing, the pacing, the 3-point makes an attempt — appear to be off, too. It is by no means good when your individual fanbase is making indicators so that you can depart. (And even worse when your college officers must go full New York Knicks to defend the coach by booting a fan out of the sector.)

2. Kentucky’s foul capturing struggles proceed

After hitting seven of its 14 makes an attempt vs. South Carolina, Kentucky is now hitting on a woeful 65.6% from the charity stripe on the season — a mark that ranks third-worst within the SEC and close to the 300 mark nationally (out of 363 Division I groups). 4 of Kentucky’s six losses on the season have been by double figures, so it isn’t the singular factor that is protecting it from successful, however make no mistake: it’s a huge drawback. On Tuesday, it was fairly actually the distinction between a win and one other painstaking loss. 

3. What’s subsequent for Kentucky?

The CBS Sports activities school basketball employees went on document earlier Tuesday to sport out how the rest of Kentucky’s season would unfold, and I used to be the excessive man of the bunch. Then they rotated and misplaced to arguably the least-talented workforce within the SEC at house. So what’s subsequent for Kentucky? There is no reprieve in sight. Saturday is a street matchup towards Tennessee and its elite protection that is prone to make this UK system look much more damaged. 

There’s room to be optimistic right here that Kentucky can flip issues round, however there isn’t any actual foundation on which you’ll lay that perception. It is simply merely that … issues cannot get a lot worse. It is a top-three roster by expertise within the SEC. It has no enterprise fumbling video games away at house to South Carolina as a 19.5-point favourite. Certainly issues will get higher. They’re nearly sure to get higher. However whether or not that is a flip in direction of the trail of a tourney bid stays up for debate, and issues appear rather more grim Tuesday evening than they did even a couple of days in the past.